This is one of those moments where I have to eat my words.
I’m sure if you searched through all my tweets you’d find one about how I’d never, ever eat a smoothie with spinach in it. Well the joke’s on me because I’ve been having one or more of these a day for the past few weeks.
Once you get past the color that makes you think you’re drinking Kermit the Frog, you’d be surprised how good green smoothies can taste. And you know they’re better for you than whatever you can get at an Orange Julius in the mall.
If you do add chia seeds or protein powder then I would recommend adding more water so the mixture doesn’t thicken up too much. For an ice-cold smoothie, freeze the banana ahead of time.
Orange Spinach Smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 2 cups):
- 1 banana
- 1 orange
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach
- 1/2 cup water
- chia seeds(optional)
- protein powder(optional)
Method:
- Combine all of the ingredients in your blender.
- Process until smooth.
- Drink immediately while still fresh.
I promise it tastes better than it looks.
I’ve gotten into a practice—a good practice—where I make a big batch of quinoa over the weekend using this method to heat and serve throughout the week. It saves me a lot of time and dramatically increases my options for meals when I don’t really have the patience to cook or turn on the oven.
I usually cook the quinoa in just water(as opposed to veg stock) because I’m never quite sure what I’m going to use it for. Sometimes I like it dressed up in Asian flavors like in this fried quinoa recipe and other times with more Western ingredients like this recipe, which I could just as easily see served with roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s an easy way to dress up leftovers so that it doesn’t taste anything like it started as.
Orange and Herb Quinoa
Prep time: 5 minutes(longer if you aren’t using leftover quinoa)
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):
- 2 cups cooked quinoa(or 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 2 cups water)
- Juice from 1/2 an orange(2-3 Tablespoons)
- Zest from 1/2 an orange
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon herbs de Provence(or any other seasoning blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar(optional)
Method:
- If using uncooked quinoa, bring to a boil over the stove with the 2 cups of water and cover with a lid until the water’s been absorbed and the quinoa shows that it’s cooked like above.
- Mix the cooked quinoa with all of the other ingredients thoroughly. Adjust the taste by adding more salt or sugar.
- Serve cold or heat up briefly in the microwave or oven for a warm side dish.
Shown with kale, tempeh cooked in soy sauce, and black olives.
When I was in high school, we didn’t really have a traditional cafeteria; instead, we used a college campus’ union where they had tons of food options inside. Between my freshman and sophomore year, Burger King was moved out and in their place came a Panda Express. I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that, since I loved the Burger King frozen chocolate pies so much. But one taste of Panda Express’ orange chicken and it was love at first bite.
I can’t count how many times I got that order over the next couple of years. Now I sometimes go back and get a little nostalgic just looking at the Panda Express sign. But since gluten and meat are out, Panda Express’ orange chicken is, too. So that inspired me to make my own; if I could make something half as good as their orange chicken without chicken or wheat, I’d be happy. Luckily I think I came upon with something half as good and more.
I used tapioca starch for a corn-free dish I was a little worried it wouldn’t be a good replacement, but it worked exactly the same. It’s something I now keep on hand at all times for gluten-free/grain-free baking and cooking.
Orange Tempeh
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients(for 2 servings):
- 1 block of tempeh, cubed
- Juice of 1/2 an orange(about 2 Tablespoons)
- 2 Tablespoons agave, or any sweetener
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce(or wheat-free tamari)
- 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon siracha sauce(optional)
- 1/2 Tablespoon tapioca or corn starch mixed with 2 Tablespoon water
Method
- In a small dish, mix together the orange juice, agave, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sesame oil and siracha if using.
- Pour the mixture into a frying pan and heat over a burner set to medium.
- When the liquid is hot, add in the tempeh. Brown the tempeh on all sides in the sauce until half the liquid has boiled off, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the dissolved starch into the pan and mix it around with the tempeh and sauce to thicken up. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a couple tablespoons of hot water into the pan and mix it in until more of the starch has dissolved and adjust it until it forms a coating over the tempeh.
- Remove from the heat. Serve over vegetables or rice.
This sauce is slightly less sweet and more orange-flavored than Panda Express’, which I like in terms of complexity but not quite fitting for a Chinese take-out craving. You can play with the sweetness and saltiness by adding more sugar or soy sauce and adjust to taste.
The best recipes come to you in 5 minutes.
The best recipes are made with ingredients you already have on hand.
The best recipes are simple yet flavorful.
This recipe is all of that. It’s not fussy. An idiot could make it(not that anyone here’s an idiot). And it’s healthy, too. It may not be up to par with Royal Wedding standards(one more day! Eek!) but it’s a great choice for a week night in America when you get home late and just want something simple.
Simple Citrusy White Beans
Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):
- 1 can cannellini beans, drained
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoons orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Drain and rinse the beans if you haven’t already.
In a bowl, toss all of the ingredients together. Serve at room temperature.
I told you this recipe was idiot-proof. The black pepper is key to the flavor; I don’t even normally like black pepper but it balances out the fruit flavors really nicely.
What makes a recipe a winner in your book?
One of my favorite treats from the holidays has always been the Terry’s Chocolate Oranges with chocolates shaped like an orange slice and citrusy chocolate. I have to think orange is one of the best flavor pairings to go with chocolate.
It only seemed natural that brownies with orange in them would taste good, too. And these do. These are the perfect brownies to serve for the holidays since they taste so citrusy and fresh. And they have fruit juice in them, so you can convince yourself they’re healthy, too!
Chocolate Orange Brownies
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- Juice and zest of 1 orange
- 1 eggs
- 6 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons chocolate chips
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, juice, and zest from one orange. Try to get out as much juice as you can squeezing it between your hands.
Next, mix in the oil and the egg and whisk until combined.
Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder, and fold until it all just comes together.
Finally, add in the chocolate chips and fold to incorporate. Pour the dough into an 8×8 baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set.
I was worried that the orange flavor might bake out of these without something more lasting like orange extract, but you can taste the orange in these perfectly. These brownies manage to be citrusy while still staying true to their chocolaty nature. I wouldn’t be surprised if I make these 2 or 3 times before Christmas.
